"Though I am willing to try. As my brother said, 'It is not so bad..."
Storm: "Does Thanos mean the Valkyries harm? Choosers of the Slain, right? One would think he would want to hire them."
Thor declares:
"Knowing him not, yet wary of the things your brother may have said to you, be thou, I say."
"Of Thanos, the mad Titan, whose consuming passion to embrace the fleshless lips of Death is, dost thou speak?"
The Scarlet Witch says,
"Doth ..."
She shakes her head. "DOES he have six chins, dress in blue and gold and is he built like Bruce Banner on a rampage?"
THOR: "Aye, the very same! Though Banner be green, but Thanos is purple."
"Thanos?" says the Collector. "I have not seen Thanos for fifty years. Not since he fought his fellow Titans, the Inhumans, and the Eternals for control of the Twilight Sword. He has great ambition, that one. And by killing all those races of superhumans, he is close to being the only entity in his power class ..."
"..oh. Apart from the Aesir of Asgard, of course."
Scarlet Witch says delicately to Thor, whom she really doesn't know very well: "Perhaps we should all accompany you to Asgard to fight him?"
Storm moves off into the collection, looking around to see what else is here.
In particular, she looks for living things that might need freeing.
There is a miniature African veldt, with inch-high lions, elephants like teacups, and little shrunken trees. And an aquarium with lots of miniature sea life, none of it Earthly.
An octopus-faced humanoid with batlike wings turns from its pyramid and regards Storm balefully through lidless green eyes.
Sue Storm, the Invisible Girl, turns invisible and walks over to the Serpent Crown. She plans to turn it invisible, too.
She wonders if Namor will let her wear it if she becomes his queen....
However, before Sue can gather up the Serpent Crown, Spider-Man steps between the Collector and the crown. Behind his (Spidey's) back, Spider-Man yanks on the webline leading to the crown and yanks it (the crown) into his (Spidey's) suction-fingered sticky hand.
Behind his (Spidey's) back, he places a spider-tracker on the crown.
He will then (also behind his back) web up the Serpent Crown, and then tiptoe backward without showing what is behind his back to the Collector. Whistling innocently. Because Peter Parker is SUBTLE.
Ant-Man grows and returns Spidey to normal size. He calls his ants back into his belt.
He then turns to the Collector and says, "Are you the Collector or are you The Stealer? You stole that Serpent Crown! Let us take it back, and we'll be fine. There will be no more fuss."
The Collector says,
"Rubbish! The Serpent Crown is the property of the kings of Lemuria. They are gone, and so are all of their grandchildren. No one owns the Crown by right, and I own it by virtue of possession!"
He looks around.
"Or I did. Someone is hiding my Serpent Crown! The centerpiece of my collection of serpent-themed royal regalia!"
"I do not want to become angry ... I have had my fill and more than my fill of the bitter dregs of wrath, these latest hours. But should you steal from me, within mine own demense, then truly, I shall show you what the fury of an Elder of the Universe is!"
THOR interrupts with,
"Aye, but the Realm Eternal endangered stands! Shall the Rainbow Bridge shed its radiance on a scene of devastation and despair? I say thee NAY! More, I say thee NEVER!
"Come thou, Scarlet Witch, wise Vision, brave Ant-Man, vociferous Spider-Man, and not least by any means, Ororo, who bids fair to match mine own title of the Master of the Storm!"
"You also, purple robot man, may come if thou dost desire a battle beyond mortal understanding!"
Why, you may ask, has Thor not invited the Invisible Girl?
Oh, right ... INVISIBLE.
Scarlet Witch says to the Collector:
ReplyDelete"While it is to be understood that you would not wish to leave your museum unattended, perhaps there are some things here you could loan us that would help save the Universe--and thus preserve the rest of your collection?"
Hmm. Storm does not free the bat-winged optopod humanoid at this time.
ReplyDeleteTo Thor, she says, "I am eager to do what I can to help maintain order and protect the universe. I will come."
INVISIBLE GIRL
ReplyDeleteSue becomes visible, and says, "Hello, Thor! You remember the many times you dueled the Thing. And the time Reed lost his powers and was replaced by a parallel time version of himself that looked like the Thing? And you remember that time the version of Reed from the Counter Earth of High Evolution known as the BRUTE attacked the Avengers? Well, Reed is feeling a little under the weather right now, but this is a dangerous job that needs to be done, so I'd like to come along."
She turns to Ant Man and says "Can you get your ants to pilot Reed's absurdly expensive one of a kind spaceship back down to a landing pad on top of a Manhattan skyscraper without causing any burn marks on the neighbor's buildings? Because I am going with Thor and we need someone to put the Pogo-Plane away."
ANT MAN
ReplyDeleteAnt Man will turn to Invisible Girl, "Good question! No .... no ... no!"
Ant Man then turns to Thor, and says, "Good question! Yes!"
Scarlet Witch, says, with lingering, sibilant consonants, "Perhaps there is an automatic pilot setting?"
ReplyDeleteSPIDER MAN
ReplyDeleteSpider man will add more webbing to the Serpent Crown to make it look the size and shape of a football. Then he will say, "Sure, Thor! I'll help! Everyone needs a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!"
And then he will think to himself sarcastically, "Yes, little old me, the teen hero barely able to hold his own against the Three Enforcers, clearly will be a great help against a power mad Titan who is only rivaled by Asgardians! Maybe we should get Daredevil and the Night Thrasher to help too!"
He cradles the webby football casually in his arm.
"Let's roll! Let's swing! Let's rock! Let's, uh, jazz! Let's use another lame musical metaphor for beginning the adventure!"